Pride of Cove premieres fall show at Spirit Spectacular

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

On Thursday evening, the audience at Bulldawg Stadium received “A Taste of Italy” when the Pride of Cove Band and Color Guard performed the first two phases of their fall show during Spirit Spectacular. 
Prior to watching the show, the junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders, the Royal Blue Twirlers, as well as the Copperettes performed routines. 
The band has been working on its show since early August and if all goes well this week, they’ll perform the full “Taste of Italy” during halftime at the Friday night halftime show at the Homecoming game. 
The band performed its opening movement, “La Donna e Mobile” from Rigoletto by Verdi, accompanied by choreography with the color guard dancing with flags in the colors of Italy—red, white, and green. 
Next, the band transitioned to Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino,” which featured color guard flags emblazoned with large images of garlic and tomatos, along with plenty of rifle work by guard members.
The program also includes “Mambo Italiano” by Bob Merrill and “Funiculi Funicula” by Luigi Denza. 
Prior to the Pride of Cove taking to the field, both the S.C. Lee Junior High and Copperas Cove Junior High bands had their chance to perform several numbers together, to include “21 Guns,” “The Middle,” and “Don’t Stop Believing.” 
Joe Lombardi served as emcee for the evening, setting the pace for the evening which started with the display of colors and the National Anthem, played by the Pride of Cove Band. 
The night held a somber note when CCISD superintendent Joe Burns took to the field to not only welcome the parents and supporters of the band, cheer and dance students, but to acknowledge the loss of one of the band’s members, Dellsen Kemp, who passed away Thursday morning after succumbing to injuries suffered in a car accident on Sunday. 
Burns said two color guard members in the accident were treated and released, with another band member having been hospitalized and released on Thursday morning. 
“The other young man is not coming home, but succumbed to his injuries. I would ask that we honor that young man and his family with a moment of silence.” 
The varsity Bulldawgs made an appearance on Thursday night along with CCISD athletic director Jack Welch, who gave words of encouragement to the crowd and thanked the band for its support during the season. 
The Pride of Cove Band Boosters used the evening to raise funds by selling tickets for drawings to win a variety of gift baskets, with winning tickets selected at the close of the evening.